Here are eight books which celebrate our differences and make readers more tolerant and understanding of people:

1. Harry Potter novels by JK Rowling

At first I loved the Harry Potter novels for the sheer imagination. Then I was so glad that such books had managed to get more children into reading. Then, when I had finished all seven books, I became incredibly aware of just how superb the novels actually were. They may have been written for children but they can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. And now they make you a more tolerant person too!

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Though one of the greatest novels ever written (in my humble opinion), Mockingbird hit the headlines earlier in the year when Michael Gove decided to remove it from the GCSE syllabus in favour of more works by British authors – entirely missing the point that the messages of racism and prejudice transcend countries and are just as relevant now as they were when the book was written decades ago.

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

It’s all well and good reading books which you can relate to – but The Curious Incident managed to do something incredible and take the reader into a very different mind. Though it’s never actually described as autism, the central character in this book has issues with social interaction and approaches life in a very different way to what many may be used to. Once you see his way of thinking, it’s hard to imagine you couldn’t really understand the differences before.

4. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

In a similar way to The Curious Incident, this more recent novel is a love story with a difference, one that celebrates difference and trying to understand people who think differently to you. It helps that it’s also beautifully written and is immensely hopeful.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Though it’s about World War Two, The Holocaust, abandonment and death – and written from the perspective of death itself – this book is entirely unique in that it really celebrates both the beauty of human interaction and the importance of the written word. Amidst all the horror and tragedy, The Book Thief will steal your heart and make you search for magic everywhere.

6. World War Z by Max Brooks

It might seem like a strange choice but World War Z is more about the way society works than actual zombies. It deconstructs government, crowd mentality and how panic and chaos can take over against the voice of reason. It also shows how people who might have been marginalised by society can actually prove to be very good in a crisis and how important it is for countries to work together when the planet is under threat.

7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi manages to be incredibly spiritual without preaching religion at its readers. The book is thought-provoking and looks at the idea that faith can drive you on when all seems lost. Do you give up or do you find a way to keep going?

8. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Solomon’s account of his real life experience of being captured as a free man and sold into slavery is heartbreaking and tragic, full of horror and the very worst of human-kind. Yet somehow, he manages to find the moments of good in amidst all that. If Solomon can find something to be positive about then there is good to be found in even the darkest places.